Newburgh City Manager Todd Venning, who has displayed contempt for the local news media, apparently believes that hiring a marketing and public relations firm will turn the city’s fortunes around.

Venning told the city council last week that a marketing firm would cost up to $140,000 (whereas an individual marketing specialist on the city’s payroll might earn $90,000 annually). That, he believes, would generate positive press for the city where shootings and other police activity often grab the headlines.

Council members apparently agree. Councilman Robert Sklarz noted “there’s great work being done by city staff” that often goes unnoticed.

He’s not wrong. The city has some talented individuals working in every department, but are often prohibited from speaking to the media, something we learned last year, when Venning was elevated to city manager and Janice Gaston was hired to replace him as city comptroller. At the time, Mayor Torrance Harvey spoke glowingly of the city’s new administrative team that featured some talented and highly qualified women and minorities. It might have made for a great story, but requests to interview the new comptroller were ignored.

The city’s department heads, these days, need permission from the top before responding to media requests. Often, they merely refer us to the city manager who, of course, doesn’t respond at all.

(A quote attributed to the City Manager in this week’s Mid Hudson Times comes from a press release issued Monday. It was accompanied by this comment from Mike Neppl, the city manager’s Chief of Staff:

“If we’re telling the City of Newburgh’s story, let’s tell the whole story: The City of Newburgh is emerging from decades of mismanagement under the strong leadership of City Manager Todd Venning, in collaboration with Mayor Torrance Harvey and the City Council. And that’s not a line out of City Hall – that is coming from the State’s top fiscal watchdog and the financial industry’s best-regarded expert in municipal finance.”)
But attempts at positive press can also hit roadblocks. A few examples:

- Last December, it was reported that an agreement was reached to remediate and develop the site of the burned-out shell of a gas station at 842 Broadway. Remediation was supposed to have been completed in April, yet it was obvious to anyone who drove past the site as the deadline was approaching that was not being done. Inquiries to the planning department were referred to and ignored by the City Manager. (Since then it was learned that the deal had fallen through and that another plan was approved, but still, little work appears to have been done at the site.)

- In May, we sought permission to speak with police officers serving in the new bicycle patrols that had begun in the city. We received no response.

- We reported the mayor’s interest in acquiring property on West Street to become the new police headquarters. Follow-up questions to the city manager received no response.

We eventually learned from Omar Balbuena-Palma, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager, that general inquiries or questions that we may have should only be asked during the public comment period at council meetings. “The city manager may respond or it may be the city council that responds, but (the) majority of the time it may be directed to the city council.” In short, it means that we are only allowed to ask questions no more than four times a month (and less frequently during summer months).

It’s worth noting that this clarification came after another media outlet reported that the city manager had not established residence in Newburgh within 90 days of appointment, an apparent violation of the city’s charter. The same media outlet reported in August that Venning had still not established residency more than 15 months after his appointment.

The media policy also requires clearance from the manager’s office on press releases issued by various departments. That’s why a Friday night fire in the City of Newburgh might go unreported until some time after the start of business on Monday morning. (The “official” press release may also exclude some of the more pointed comments that appear on the social media pages of the firefighter’s union about response time being hampered by a shortage of staff, but that’s a conversation for another time.)

A PR firm may help “change the narrative,” but never the facts. It may be able to tout an improved fiscal stress score, but it won’t lower the crime rate, fill in the potholes, improve public transportation or do any of the things that actually will help. The City of Beacon, it’s worth noting, seems to enjoy a sunnier reputation for its renaissance without the help of a PR firm.

It may be that $140,000 is better spent on more firefighters, more chlorine for the swimming pool (whenever that day comes) or any of the things suggested by the members of Community Voices Heard who addressed the city council at that same meeting last week, and who also seek more transparency from City Hall when it comes to spending public funds.

We, too, aspire to ‘tell the whole story.” Transparency from those in high office will help us all.